After Twelve Years of Long, Long Nights
by ImagineATale
Summary: It was twelve years since Beast set Belle free. He was truly alone in the world, having lost not only Belle but his entire staff once the curse had fully taken over. Now, Belle's daughter was in his castle, telling him how Belle had endured twelve unhappy years that were being brought to a cruel end by plague.
1. Didiane

**Yeah I know. I shouldn't be starting _yet_ another BATB fic until I've finished at least one of the currently active ones. What can I say? I'm at the mercy of the plot bunnies, who NEED to stop breeding for just a little while. Well hey, I guess the benefit of working on multiple fics at once is I can switch my focus between stories to keep my mind fresh. **

**I must put out a warning that this story will be angsty. I'll try to maybe put some light moments in at some point but it's probably going to be mostly fairly depressing. This story assumes that after Beast let Belle go, she was more or less forced to marry Gaston to keep her father out of the asylum and Gaston away from Beast. Twelve years later, Gaston is killed and just a week after the village of Villeneuve is hit with plague, causing a dying Belle to tell her daughter to flee to the castle before she falls ill. Soooooo yeah, Beast has been alone, for a dozen years, and depressed, and along comes this girl who informs him the one he loved and lost so long ago is on her deathbed. From the same disease Beast and Belle once learned had claimed Belle's mother. So it's mainly how Beast copes with this, and how he and Belle's daughter try to comfort each other. So if you're not looking for something that will be mostly sad with maybe some light moments, you may want to give this story a miss. You have been warned.**

It had been twelve long, lonely years since those long, long nights began. If the Beast had had his say in the matter, he would have allowed himself to starve long ago. He'd have quite literally wasted in his lonely tower, and would now be but a skeleton. Just a pile of dry bones to tell of the creature who had once lived.

But it seemed that the curse had one more cruel trick to play. It simply would not let him wither away. Though all that remained of his faithful staff were an assortment of inanimate objects, some sort of magic kept meals arriving in the dining room, and kept him driven to eat them. Fires mysteriously stayed lit in all the castle's fireplaces so he stayed warm. Basically what was needed to keep him alive was provided. It was as if the curse was determined to force him to live, alone, without Belle, without even the company of his staff who he had come to love as family under Belle's influence. That way, it seemed, he would be ever-conscious of his utter failure to lift the curse.

It had been twelve years since that fateful night, that night he realized that in loving her, he had to release her. Learning to love was half the battle. He had to earn that love in return before the last petal fell from an enchanted rose. Cruel irony, that by meeting the first requirement, he had to let her go and forfeit his chance of meeting the second requirement. The fact that he was _so_ close made it all the more cruel. But he'd had to let her go just hours before the last petal made its lonely descent from the stem. The fact that it had been twelve years was not known to him. Because of the endless winter he never knew what season it truly was. Days simply bled into years here.

On this particular afternoon, Beast sat in the parlor reading. It was an unlikely choice of reading material for him, but it was Belle's favorite so reading it made him feel close to her in a way. _Romeo and Juliet_ was its title. He actually kept it close to him, just to feel close to her. When she had first told him it was her favorite play, he gagged. He hadn't been fond of all the heartache and pining found between its covers. Ironic, considering now his life consisted of nothing but heartache and pining. This is what he was reading when there was a loud knock at the front door of the castle.

Beast was startled. No one had visited since Belle. He made his way to the foyer and looked out the window. A child stood at the door, a girl who looked not much over a decade old. Was this the enchantress coming to pay another dreaded visit? Or was it truly a child who may be in need of shelter? If the former, he knew he had better act in a way to pass whatever test she may be here to torment him with this time. If the latter, well, no longer was he the person who would callously turn someone in need out to their fate. He tentatively opened the door and looked down at the child.

The young girl looked up into his eyes. He noted with surprise that she did not appear at all frightened by his monstrous appearance. She almost looked as if she was seeing what she had expected to see.

"Forgive my intrusion please sir," she said respectfully. "Are you the Beast that lives here?"

"I am," the Beast said, realizing she actually did expect to see him.

"My mother sent me," the girl said. "Belle. She says you knew her twelve years ago?"

The Beast let out a soft gasp. This was Belle's daughter? And Belle had sent her? He opened the door further and stepped aside.

"Please come in," he said. "Let's get you warming up by the fire. Yes I knew Belle. Has it been twelve years?"

"That's what she says," the girl said, following Beast into the parlor. "I'm eleven, so she last saw you a year before my birth. She said you may not know how many years since it's always winter around here. My name is Didiane by the way."

"Let me have your cloak, Didiane," Beast said holding out a paw. When she handed it to him, he hung it on a coat rack that used to be a servant named Chapeau. "Sit down. How is your mother?"

"Not well I'm afraid," Didiane said glumly. "Most of Villeneuve is terribly sick. Maman told me to flee this morning before I fall ill. She got sick last night. She feared it was bad and told me to stay away from her and if it's what she thinks she'd have to send me away. Then this morning a doctor came in wearing a funny mask...like a bird's beak, and said Maman would be dead within a week."

The Beast felt like somebody had just thrust a dagger into his heart and was now slowly turning it. The last time he saw such a beaked doctor's mask he and Belle were discovering the fate of Belle's own mother. A fate Belle was now falling victim to. He knew the mask meant only one thing.

"Plague..." he said sadly. "Of all the things, Belle had to be stricken with plague."

"I think that's what the doctor called it," the child confirmed. "To make matters worse her death will make me an orphan. My father was killed just last week in a hunting accident. Though Maman never would wish anyone ill, I think there was some relief not to have Papa anymore. She tried to hide it from me my whole life, but I always knew. I could tell. Finally she admitted to me last month that her marriage to Papa was an unhappy one. I asked if there ever was a man she'd have preferred. That's when she first told me about you."

"Me?" Beast was surprised.

"She said the one she really loved was a Beast, though only by appearance," Didiane said. "She told me under the fur was the gentlest man she ever knew, besides her father. We lost Grandpere two years ago."

Such loss and tragedy and this child had only lived eleven years.

"Do you know how...she ended up in an unhappy marriage?"

"She finally told me that story after Papa was killed last week," Didiane said. "She said when she was with you, you showed her a mirror...oh! That reminds me!" Didiane took a mirror out of her pocket and handed it to the Beast. "She wanted me to return this to you. She hasn't touched it since before she was sick so she told me where to get it. She wrote you a note too but she said I couldn't take it or I'd get sick. She wants you to have the mirror show you the note. Anyway she said you showed her this mirror which would show anything asked of it. She wanted to see her father, my grandfather, and found he was being taken somewhere by the villagers who had formed a mob. She said you told her to go to him and she found him about to be committed to the insane asylum for telling them a Beast was holding her prisoner. She said Papa told her he did give my grandfather one way to escape the asylum. Grant him Maman's hand in marriage, and he'd be free despite his delusions of a beast. Grandpere refused. Maman said she almost showed you to everybody with the mirror, to prove her father wasn't crazy. Surely they'd have to let him go if she proved the Beast was real. But then she remembered that Papa was a skilled hunter and former war hero. She said surely he'd have led the mob in a rampage to storm the castle and kill you. So she said if Grandpere would be released from custody, she would marry Papa. So while she never loved him, she married him to save Grandpere...and you."

The Beast listened silently. He bowed his head in grief to know what Belle had put herself through partly on his account. He wished she had just used the mirror so she and her father could both be free. He cradled the mirror in his paws.

"When she told me where the mirror was," Didiane continued, "she told me to ask to see you so I would know what you looked like and wouldn't be frightened when I got here. She also told me to have it show me the fastest but safest route here."

The Beast was suddenly struck by how...beyond her years Didiane seemed. She seemed to lack the youthful innocence a child of eleven should still possess some of. And if he knew Belle, he knew she would preserve her daughter's innocence as long as possible. When he'd let her go to her father, he'd set her free. At least he thought he was setting her free. But she'd been anything but free these past twelve years if her daughter already had the maturity of a young adult, way too careworn for a child of eleven. The Beast hoped Belle's note would shed some light.


	2. Belle's Letter

"Let me read your mother's note," the Beast said softly. Then holding the mirror up he spoke again. "Show me the note Belle wrote for me."

A piece of paper on a table appeared in the glass. Then the image zoomed so that he could read the words, giving him plenty of time to read before scrolling to reveal more of the letter. The letter read as follows.

 _My dearest Beast,_

 _I am writing this because I fear I've been struck by plague. I'm waiting for a doctor to come and confirm but if so, and it is likely since several in Villeneuve have already succumbed, I shall have to send my daughter away. Much how my own mother had to send my father and I away to protect us from plague when I was but a few months old. I can only pray to get my precious Didiane out of town before she too is infected. I cannot even send this letter, but I haven't touched the mirror in about a week, so she should be safe in taking it. If Didiane comes to you and you read this letter, it is because plague has been confirmed. I've told her to keep well away from me until we know for sure. I've also told her a bit about you._

 _I hope you don't mind me sending her to you. This illness comes just a week after my husband was killed while hunting, and I cannot bear the thought of my daughter going to an orphanage._

 _While I stayed in Villeneuve and married Gaston, I want you to know that I've wanted to return to you. I realized within a week away from the castle that I loved you. I did not want to marry Gaston, but when I got back to the village it was the only way I could make them let my father go from the asylum. Well there was one other way. I could use the mirror to prove your existence and his sanity. Forgive me Beast, I'm so sorry, but I almost did that. I almost exposed you. But I realized the mob would only come after you, especially with Gaston at its head. He told me that just before Papa was locked in the asylum wagon, just before I rode in, that Gaston had offered him an out. Grant Gaston my hand in marriage. Papa refused. He later told me that Gaston had offered to help rescue me, though he never believed the Beast story, to blackmail Papa into granting him my hand. You know, look like the hero. I'd already refused his proposal so I guess he figured if I wouldn't willingly marry him he'd get my father to compel me to. But my father saw Gaston's temper start getting out of control as they searched, without success, for the castle. My father didn't like what he was seeing and refused to give Gaston his blessing. So Gaston knocked him out and tied him to a tree for the wolves to eat. Thankfully one of our few friends in the village found him and rescued him. Papa tried to tell everyone what happened, but Gaston twisted things around so it looked like not only was Papa delusional about a Beast, but also delusional about Gaston trying to murder him. So he declared my father should be committed. Gaston has a very heavy influence in town. Everyone will follow what he says without question. I used this influence to get my father released. I told Gaston that if he let my father go, I would marry him. He agreed and told the asylum warden to release my father. Papa objected, just like when I took his place at the castle, but I was not going to see him carted off to the madhouse or you harmed. Papa didn't understand why I didn't confirm his beast story, especially when he later learned I had the means to prove your existence. But I told him that when you locked him away you were deeply troubled and hurting, and covering that with anger. I told him that I had come to know the kind, witty, empathetic man you truly are. I told him if circumstances were different I'd bring him back to the castle and we'd stay with you if you'd have us. But I had given Gaston my word and must live up to my end of the bargain._

 _The only good thing to come from my marriage was Didiane. I gave her the name because it means 'longing', and I was longing for you. I still do. I've looked upon you often and know you also longed for me. Sometimes I would hear your anguished voice say my name, say that you love me, and I want nothing more than to reach through that mirror and hug you and tell you that I love you. I would have looked at you more often, but I had to be careful that Gaston never saw you._

 _I tried to teach my daughter to read and write, but she's not at the level she could be. I also had to do this in secret. I had to keep my own reading from Gaston. Female literacy is frowned upon here, and Gaston would not have any wife or daughter of his burying their nose in a book. If he caught either of us reading, he would scold us, even beat us. Much of my defiance I'm sure you remember has been whipped out of me. But I refuse to let go of all of it. I will proudly carry some of my independent nature with me to my grave._

 _My plan after Gaston was killed was to bring Didiane and finally come back to you. I had only to stay until after the funeral. But after the funeral the plague hit. We were going to leave in the morning but now I'm sick. My father passed away two years ago or I know he'd take Didiane somewhere, hopefully to you. But it may be a blessing he is gone and doesn't have to deal with plague again. He was always haunted by having to leave my mother. You may recall I told you that was the one thing he couldn't tell me. I did tell him about our Paris trip and how we learned of Maman's fate. I know it never stopped haunting him and I think going through it all over again would just be too much._

 _I hope you don't mind me sending Didiane to you. You were the only one I've ever known, who has fully supported my love of literature, besides my father and the village priest Pere Robert, sadly also now deceased. Though you told me your presence would cause laughter to die, you made me laugh often with your dry sense of humor. You were the best friend I ever had, and I wish I could have returned to you. I can think of no one besides you I'd rather have raise my child. I know I'm asking a lot, but I hope you'll love her as your own. I could never return to you, even though I've wanted to for so long. Perhaps in some way I am returning to you in the form of my daughter._

 _That night, after we danced, just a short time before I left, you asked if I thought I could be happy at the castle, and I asked if it was possible to be happy when not free. I was much happier and freer at the castle than as Gaston's wife. You also stated it was probably foolish to hope to earn my affection. Not so. You've had it for these past twelve years, and I wish for all the world I could have let you know that._

 _Please instill within her soul the love of reading that you and I shared. She can read some, but like I say my opportunities to teach her were limited and it saddens me to say she's below her potential, through no fault of her own. Please help her with that. Hug her often as I do. Tell her stories about my time in the castle. I know the staff are all gone, but please show her the objects they've become and tell her of the friends they once were. Keep her safe. Above all, love her. She's a good child, and very rarely is a stern voice required to bring her into line._

 _I haven't told her a lot about the curse, as that's your story to tell should you choose to do so, but I did feel some background was appropriate. I told her you used to be a human who had a painful childhood and grew up to be someone you weren't meant to be, and were thus cursed to be a Beast. I also told her that you had a full staff who were turned into various objects that turned inanimate when the curse became permanent. I told her how I watched the gentle soul that was buried within you emerge. By the way, I know you grew to be the way you were because of loss and a father who left much to be desired. Didiane's childhood has had its share of losses, mine being the latest. And Gaston left much to be desired as a father as well. Please see that she doesn't hide her gentle soul behind a wall as you did. Don't be afraid to let her see your grief, as I know the news of my fate will cause you._

 _I've had to take several breaks writing this letter. So much more I want to say. I have more than a decade of things I want to say. But my strength is finite. If in the unlikely event this is not plague, I will destroy this letter and when I'm recovered we'll both come to you. If it is, though, I'll send Didiane with the mirror, and have her ask you to view the letter through it. If she comes without me, as I believe she will, I'm afraid this letter is goodbye. One more thing. Please check me in the mirror every so often. I don't want you to have to watch my struggle, but with the mirror you and Didiane can at least know when I pass. I know that always tortured my father, for he never knew how long my mother lived after he took me away. At least you can check and have the closure my father was denied. I hope you and Didiane can comfort each other as you both grieve._

 _I guess this is as good a place as any to end this. Like I said, I want to say so much more. I wish I could grasp your paw once more. I wish I could hug you and stroke the soft fur of your mane. But I'm afraid that will never be. I cannot tell you Beast how desperately I wish this didn't have to be goodbye._

 _With much love, and more gratitude for having known you than I can ever begin to express,_

 _Belle_

So many emotions ran through Beast at once as he set the mirror down on the table next to the chair he sat in. It brought a measure of comfort to finally know she loved him, even if she realized it too late. He felt honored that she would trust him with her daughter, though he felt woefully inadequate for the task of raising a child. And he felt much grief and sorrow. Not only because she was facing a horrible death, but because her last twelve years were unhappy ones. When he let her go, he wasn't just sending her to her father's aid. He meant to set her free. He wanted her to be happy, even if it wasn't with him. The one small comfort he'd found in these last twelve years was being sure she was happy and free. Now he knew she hadn't been, and it was partly to save him. If she'd just shown him in the mirror, she and her father could be free, even if it had to cost the Beast his life. It felt suffocating. His head and shoulders slumped forward as he grieved not only Belle's impending death, but the life far worse than she deserved.

"Monsieur Beast?" Didiane said, bringing him back to the present. "Are you all right?"

"Just call me Beast," he said. "No daughter of Belle has any need to address me with formality. And I'm all right. I just wish things had turned out differently for her. For both of you."

"She loved you," Didiane said. "You loved her too didn't you?"

"Yes I did," Beast said softly. "Very much."

"My father didn't," the girl said. "Not really. He thought he did. But he loved how pretty she looked. I overheard him tell his friend LeFou one time that he enjoyed the thrill of bringing her into submission like breaking a high strung horse."

The Beast stifled a sob that rose in his throat. To think Gaston had seen her as something to be subdued.

"I'm very sorry to hear that," he said when he felt he could speak with a somewhat steady voice. "And that you even had to be aware of it."

The Beast was suddenly thankful Gaston had died first. Had it been Belle, and had Gaston lived to raise Didiane, would this sweet child grow up twisted as had the erstwhile prince?

"Oh," the girl said crossing the distance between them. "Maman told me to give you a hug from her."

She wrapped her arms around his shoulders. He reciprocated without hesitation. Receiving an embrace sent from Belle was something he didn't want to end. Neither seemed to want it to end. When they did finally pull apart, the Beast gently laid his paws on Didiane's shoulders and studied her. She seemed to be studying him as well. He was amazed not to see a trace of fear in the child. He certainly did not want her to fear him, but he did look rather fearsome.

"You have your mother's eyes," he said softly. "And her hair. And her inquisitive nature. You're studying me quite astutely. But tell me...are you not afraid? You've no need to be certainly. But I am a hideous creature."

"I saw you in the mirror," Didiane said with unwavering calmness. "And Maman said you wouldn't harm a fly. She said there was nothing in you I need to fear...except for giant snowballs."

The Beast chuckled at the memory of the snowball fight he'd had with Belle, in which his snowball was perhaps a bit bigger than it needed to be, he might have thrown a bit harder than necessary, and Belle found herself flat on the ground.

"Well yes," he said. "You may want to watch out for those. I can be...slightly over-enthusiastic in a snowball fight."

"My mother said you've been alone for these past twelve years," Didiane said, bringing the conversation back to a somber tone. "She said she could tell whenever she checked on you that you were hurting terribly. She hopes I can be a comfort to you that she was unable to be since she left."

"Do you know she asked that I have you live here at the castle and take care of you?" the Beast asked.

"Yes," Didiane said. "She said it's in the letter."

"Is that all right with you?" the Beast asked. "I mean, the only one living here is me, and I don't really know much about children, except one of my servants had a little boy. And I can't really take you anywhere off castle grounds. A creature like me does not belong in society."

"I don't mind," she said. She looked up into his deep blue eyes. She found them captivating. "It must be very sad not to leave your home."

"It is," the Beast said. "And I feel bad that I'll have to subject you to it when you can have a place in the outside world. I know when you're older you can go out on your own, even leave here and find a new home, but I feel bad about what the intervening years will be like for you."

Suddenly Beast was hit with a new sadness. When Didiane was old enough, she could and probably would leave this secluded castle. Belle had asked that he love her as his own, and he found he already did love her, since she reminded him so much of Belle. Would he be able to stand watching Didiane ride off, just as he'd watched Belle? Didiane spoke again, breaking into his thoughts.

"My horse," she said. "Rosemonde. She's tethered outside."

"I'll go put her in the stable," the Beast said.

"I'll go with you if that's all right," Didiane said. "While I'm not afraid of you, Rosemonde might spook."

So Didiane put her cloak back on and they went outside to get her horse settled.


	3. Explanation in the East Wing

**Okay, I want to explain a couple things. When they get to the east wing, Belle's former room, they're talking, and Beast mentions this being a "tragic place". This is a nod to the stage adaptation song "Home" which Belle sings when she first gets to her new room...the line in question being "try to find something good in this tragic place". I was trying to figure out what term the Beast could use that would describe his view of the castle when that line popped into my head and I realized that Belle had once mentioned in song (in the Broadway version) the castle being a tragic place in that very room.**

 **Also as he's explaining things he mentions being alone for eternity and Didiane asks if he means that literally as in immortal. I don't know if Beast would have lived as an immortal (assuming Gaston hadn't used him for target practice...we know from the battle that he can be fatally wounded), but a few things make me wonder. First in the prologue when the curse is explained, it says if he failed to meet the requirements in time, "he would be doomed to remain a beast for all time", which incidentally was said in the animated prologue as well, and we know he could be fatally wounded from that battle as well (granted in the animated version it's implied he was cursed as a child and was clearly an adult when Belle met him, plus he was given an age by which to lift the curse, so it's evident that he aged in that version so maybe the all time comment doesn't mean much). Second, specific to live-action movie, when Belle questions the harshness of the penalty being meted out over theft of a rose, Beast states that he "received eternal damnation" for a rose. Since he's in his cursed state when he says this, I'm guessing he may not necessarily be referring to the "afterlife" variety. Third, also specific to live-action, we have the song Evermore, which ends with "waiting here for evermore". Could mean until death, but could also mean for eternity. I don't know if he would have eventually "died of old age" had the curse not been lifted and he hadn't been offed by some big hotshot dude with a hero complex, but the above mentioned things, plus the fact we _know_ live-action Beast was already an adult when cursed and he was not given an age deadline, so it may be possible he's put into age stasis with the staff. Again I don't know if that's the case or not, just a possibility. In any event, I thought the eternity angle might be interesting to explore. So I decided to run with it. **

Rosemonde was a large, beautiful jet black mare who was a stunning contrast to the snow. As Didiane suspected, she did spook at the sight of the Beast, who looked for all the world like a predator, walking toward her.

"Shhh," Didiane reassured her horse. "Easy Rosemonde. He's not going to hurt you. Steady, steady girl. That's a good girl. Easy."

"You know how to calm a horse," the Beast said. "Like your mother. Philippe spooked before we got acquainted."

"You knew Philippe?"

"Yes," Beast said. "Your mother came on him and he stayed in the stable while she was here. How is Philippe?"

"Dead," Didiane said. "For three years now. He was an old horse."

"Sorry to hear that," the Beast said sadly. "He was a good boy."

"Yes," Didiane said. "I learned to ride on him. Want to pet her? She seems calm now."

The Beast put his paw on Rosemonde's neck. The mare started to spook, but Didiane quickly calmed her once more.

"Getting a horse to accept me is asking a lot," Beast said. "I look like I'm a predator, so it's really asking the horse to set aside its natural instincts. It felt amazing to gain Philippe's trust."

"Did it take a while for him to warm up to you?" Didiane asked.

"Not really," Beast said. "He trusted your mother, and she trusted me."

"Probably why Rosemonde is already starting to accept you," Didiane said. "She trusts me and I trust you."

"Before we were properly acquainted," the Beast said, "Philippe wasn't exactly amused when your mother expected him to carry me back here after I was injured rescuing them from a pack of wolves."

"So you did love Maman then," Didiane said. "You took on a wolf pack to save her?"

"Well I did yes," the Beast said. "But there wasn't exactly love at that point. See...well...what do you know about your mother's stay here? About why she ended up here?"

"I know my grandfather tried to take a rose from your garden," Didiane said. "And you locked him up for theft. And Maman reasoned that since she asked Grandpere to bring her a rose it was she who should be punished, so she took his place."

"That's right," the Beast said, feeling a guilt pang remembering that whole affair. "I was a fool then. Actually Philippe first saw me when I caught your grandfather. He fled and ran home, and brought your mother back here. After she took his place, my staff decided to give her a room in the east wing. She did a little exploring and ended up in the west wing where I stay. She got a bit too close for my comfort to another rose in there. I overreacted and frightened her, and she ran away. Unfortunately she ran right into a pack of wolves. I was a beast inside and out, but somehow had enough humanity left within me not to let her suffer that fate."

"The rose she got too close to," Didiane said, "did that have anything to do with the curse? My mother said you and your staff were humans but you were cursed to be a beast and your staff objects. Did the rose in the west wing have anything to do with it?"

"You have your mother's intelligence," the Beast said. "Why don't we get Rosemonde inside the stable. Then we'll go back in the castle where I'll take you to a room. If you want I'll explain the curse."

So they led the mare into a stall.

"Philippe's old stall," the Beast said. "Hmm. Fresh hay and fresh water. Just like the magic of the curse keeps me fed even without staff."

"You don't cook?" Didiane asked.

"Don't know how," the Beast said. "I was born into an environment full of servants. I didn't know how I'd survive after the staff succumbed to the curse since I'd never had to be self sufficient. Honestly I didn't care. But the curse made sure my basic needs were provided even without staff. Made sure I survived. I guess so I could be always aware of my failure."

They were walking back toward the castle now.

"Your failure?"

"To meet the requirements for breaking the spell," the Beast explained as they entered the main foyer. "Come, I'll take you to your room. To answer your earlier question, yes, the rose I kept in the west wing had something to do with the curse. A lot actually. Our fate was held within its petals. It stayed in bloom for a long time and then began to slowly wilt. With each petal that fell, the castle would fall apart bit by bit. And the staff would become closer to ordinary objects. Thankfully when the last petal fell the castle didn't crumble completely to the ground. But it did completely take over the staff. And the child of one of the servants. Even the dog belonging to two of the servants who were married became just an ordinary piano stool. You'll meet one of the dog's owners in your new room. Or what used to be her. The curse took full effect and became unbreakable once the last petal fell. So I worried your mother was about to destroy it and end all hope right there."

"So the curse could have been lifted before the last petal fell?"

"That's right."

"How?"

"Well, first of all, here we are in the east wing," the Beast said, opening a door. "I'll give you your mother's old room. Oh, sorry about the dust. Plumette is just an ordinary featherduster now, unable to keep the place dusted. She used to be able to fly around like a bird and dust. This wardrobe here, used to be Madame de Garderobe. Opera singer and a seamstress of sorts. She was married to Maestro Cadenza and they owned Froufrou the dog."

"This is a nice room," Didiane said.

"Yes, but it occurs to me there are no clothes your size here," the Beast said. "If Madame were with us she'd have you fixed up in no time. Unfortunately I was the only one left alive once the curse had taken full effect. Shame, because I'm the one at fault for the curse yet the staff paid the worst price. Their fate was, for all intents and purposes, a death sentence." The Beast gave a sad sigh. "I shouldn't be burdening you with all this curse business. You've enough going on."

"I would like to know about it, if you don't mind," Didiane said, sitting on the bed that was once her mother's. "And I sense you have a need to talk about it."

"You are very perceptive," the Beast said. "And you remind me of your mother at every turn, and I've only known you a couple hours." He sat on a chair near the bed. "Well, I suppose if you're to spend the rest of your childhood in this tragic place with me as your guardian, you deserve to know and understand why things are as they are. Are you sure you're ready for it though?"

"I'm ready,"

"Very well," the Beast said. "But stop me if it gets to be too much for you. It's rather...painful...and I do not wish to place any more pain on you than you're going through. But like I said, you deserve to know about the creature that will be caring for you."

 _And you're right, I really do need to talk about it_ , he wanted to say, but left it unsaid. Why was it that the first person in twelve years he could finally confide in had to be an innocent child who already suffered enough to cause her to grow beyond her years?

"You asked how the curse could have been lifted," the Beast began his story. "But first let's start at the beginning, so that you understand why the curse was laid down in the first place. I was born a Prince. I'm not sure your mother knew this. She'd have known I came from an aristocratic background given the castle and servants, but I don't think I had actually told her I was once a Prince."

"So you were to become the King of France?" Didiane asked.

"Well, no," the Beast said. "Not likely anyway. My father's cousin was the direct heir to the throne. I was quite a distant heir. Several people would have had to die for me to inherit the throne. But my father was, as was I upon his death, ruler of this part of France."

"Including Villeneuve?" Didiane asked.

"Including Villeneuve," the Beast said.

"But if that's the case," Didiane said, "why did no one in town seem to know about this castle or that we even had a Prince at one time?"

"It's part of the curse," the Beast said. "But I'll get to that. This is just some history so you can understand how I became deserving of the curse. My very early childhood was decent enough, though I was perhaps a bit spoiled. My mother was gentle and kind, and was raising me to be that way. My father didn't have a lot to do with either of us, and when he was around...well, he was less caring. Then my mother fell ill when I was eight years old and died. She loved me, and I loved her, but now she was gone. That was a turning point for me. In my innocence I loved my father, and looked to him for love. I did what I could to earn it, for it was not freely given like it had been from my mother. He was selfish, cruel even. I finally realized I did not have his love, which to me was another loss. I was seeing that if you love someone, they will hurt you. They'll die, or they won't love you and even mistreat you. That's what I had concluded and I began to build an invisible wall around my heart, to keep people out and protect me from pain. But I still tried to emulate my father and do as he wished, if for no other reason than to keep from provoking his anger. That's another thing. From his example, I learned that anger is very effective in keeping people out of your heart. By the time my father died, I was a young man, and I became master of the castle and ruler of the land, just as he had been. And just as he had been, I had grown materialistic, cold, selfish and unkind. I was very vain, and surrounded myself with only exquisite beauty. I held the most lavish balls. It was during one such ball that a storm hit, and an old beggar woman, dressed only in filthy rags, interrupted the ball and was a stain upon the beauty I had surrounded myself with. She sought shelter from the storm, and offered a single red rose as compensation. I laughed at her and dismissed her. She warned me that true beauty is found within, and to look beyond appearances, but once again I turned her away. This was a mistake, for she dropped her disguise and became a beautiful enchantress. Guests fled in fright. She saw there was no love in my heart."

"Let me guess," Didiane said. "She transformed you into a beast, all who lived here into objects, made the castle dark and gloomy and the land around endure endless winter, and made the offered rose the hourglass upon your fate?"

"You catch on quick," the Beast said. "That pretty much sums it up. But understand, she didn't exactly turn me into a beast. I already was one on the inside. She just gave me the outward appearance to match. Likewise, I treated my staff as objects. So she gave them the outward appearances to match that fact as well, causing them to become less human and more object with each petal that fell, while I would remain as I was, seeing how I was growing ever closer to being alone for eternity."

"Eternity?" Didiane asked. "That's...I mean, a literal eternity? Like you're immortal?"

"Pretty much," the Beast said. "I _could_ die if injured badly enough. But other than that, I think by the curse becoming unbreakable I'm meant to be in this state literally for all time. I don't think I've aged since the curse was first placed."

"All right," Didiane said. "So as a young child you knew love, but because of losses and abuse you basically gave up on love. Because of that you were cursed, and the spell was breakable until the last petal fell from a rose. Are we to the point yet where you tell me how the curse could have been lifted?"

"Just about," the Beast said. "First I'll tell you why no one was aware there was a Prince or even the castle. As part of the curse, all local memory had been wiped clean of the castle or anyone in it. Those of us inside who had loved ones outside, as some of the staff did, remembered, but those outside the area of effect of the curse were made to forget those within." The Beast sighed. "As for how the curse could have been lifted, here it is. This is something your mother never knew. She asked, but while there was still a chance we could not tell anyone how the curse could be lifted. Now it doesn't matter. I had two requirements to meet before the last petal fell. First, I had to learn to love another. Second, I had to earn her love in return. I'd lost all hope. For who could ever learn to love a Beast? But your mother came along and slowly, slowly I let myself hope. I let her steal into my melancholy heart. Then once I loved her I realized that that meant I had to let her go."

"But she has loved you all these years," Didiane said. "She always wished she could come back."

"I know," the Beast said sadly. "Her letter said she realized it within a week of leaving. But then it was too late. The final petal fell just hours after I let her go." He hung his head. "I thought I was setting her free. I wanted her to be happy even if it meant I could never be. Even in my grief at losing her I took some solace in assuring myself she was free and could now be happy. To think all this time she wasn't free or happy. To think these unhappy years are ending in plague."

A sad sigh from the Beast, then silence fell. His heart ached to know Belle felt she had to marry a man she did not love. That this man saw her as something to subdue, like, as Didiane had overheard, a high-strung horse. That the child even had to hear her father say such a thing about her mother. What more had she had to hear that she shouldn't have? While there seemed a slight trace of youthful innocence, it seemed that this child of eleven has experienced enough to seem older in maturity. How much had Gaston mistreated Belle and Didiane, his own wife and daughter? Beast knew from Belle's letter that they'd both been scolded and even beaten for reading. _Beaten_! For _reading_! And now those twelve unhappy years were ending with the horrific death that plague had to offer. And she'd had to make her daughter leave her to protect her, just as her own mother had done.

The Beast wondered, had he known that night twelve years ago what Belle would endure after leaving, would he have let her go? He had done so because holding her any longer would be wrong. Yet sending her to the unhappy life she led seemed equally if not more wrong. Of course not letting her go would mean her father would have been committed to the asylum, and that was definitely wrong. But at least at the castle, Belle would have been loved and respected for who she was, rather than be forced to change.

The grief he felt for the whole situation was utterly overwhelming. He squeezed his eyes tight to hold back tears, but a few managed to push their way out. He hoped Didiane didn't notice. But his shoulders shook, and Didiane did notice that. He soon felt the small arms once more wrap themselves around his shoulders. Well at least as far around as they could reach. He was surprised, and he startled slightly. Having the girl giving him a hug sent by Belle was not overly surprising. But now she seemed to be hugging him of her own choosing. After the surprise wore off he reciprocated, wrapping his arms around her, then dropping one of them for the sake of propriety. Just one massive paw covered pretty much her entire back. Were he to place his other paw above, that paw would essentially swallow her whole head. If he placed it below the paw resting on her back...well that would be awkward at best, inappropriate at worst. He tried to recall what he had done when she gave him the hug from Belle, hoping he hadn't made the blunder he now thought to avoid.

"I'm sorry you're seeing me like this," the Beast whispered.

"It's quite all right," Didiane said. "The curse you're under seems dreadfully unfair."

"It's not even the curse," the Beast said softly. "It's your poor mother. I've spent twelve years grieving...but at least thought surely she was happy. But now I know that's far from the truth." He took a shuddering breath. "And now she's dying, in pain and alone."

"I didn't want to leave her," Didiane said. "I begged her to let me stay until she'd passed, but she said if I stayed I'd have the same fate. She said I had to go quickly. She wouldn't let me kiss her goodbye or even grasp her hand for a moment."

Didiane was crying now, which destroyed Beast's ability to stop his own tears from flowing. Wanting to give this child as much comfort as he could, he did wrap his other arm around her, but extended it so his paw rested on his other shoulder, incidentally placing it over her hand.

"You had to leave her Didiane," he choked out. "You had to get out of there for your own safety. And honestly plague is not kind to its victims. Even if you could have stayed without it claiming you as well, the decline you'd have to watch her endure is not something a child should have to see."

No more words were uttered. For a time, girl and Beast just held each other, each softly weeping, giving release to their pain, each giving comfort to the other.


	4. Didiane's Rough Childhood

The Beast was glad that the magic of the curse that kept him fed seemed to know there was, and was apparently fine with, another mouth to feed. He wasn't sure what he would have done if food hadn't appeared for Didiane. After they ate, they sat in the parlor.

"I was kind of a mess earlier," the Beast said. "I'm sorry you had to see that."

"I didn't mind," Didiane said. "It was somehow...oddly...good to see."

The Beast gave Didiane a quizzical look.

"Let me explain," Didiane said. "I've never seen a man in tears before, or really displaying sadness. Sometimes you could tell if Grandpere was sad, because he'd get really quiet and just look like something was bothering him. Papa said things like tears and outward grief are signs of weakness unbecoming a man. Had he any boys, he said, he would teach them to never show weakness. Maman says anyone should be able to express themselves whether male or female. She would also say that those who allow others to see them in their weak and vulnerable moments are actually very strong. She also says that you know someone is compassionate if they allow others to see their tears, or at least when they're not being aloof. Maman's words always rang true more than Papa's, so seeing your sorrow earlier was refreshing in a way."

"I was taught to not show weakness much like your father," the Beast said. "But you can only hold in so much sorrow before it finds some way out. For a long time that for me was rage."

"My father was prone to rage," Didiane said. "Believe me you did not want to find yourself on his bad side."

"I'm sorry," the Beast said. "If I may ask...what was your life like? I would think with Belle as your mother it would have been very good. But from what you've said, and what your mother said in her note, I gather having Gaston as your father must have really put some...strain on your childhood."

"It could be...hard," Didiane admitted. "If my mother and I behaved in ways a girl or woman 'should' behave, he was tolerable to be around. If we dared to do anything unbecoming a woman, like neglect cooking or cleaning or anything like that, he could become quite angry. And heaven _forbid_ a wife or daughter of Gaston should be caught _reading_! Maman tried to teach me, and I learned a little, but if Papa caught us, we tended to earn a good lashing."

"Your mother's note said as much," the Beast said sorrowfully. "Belle loved to read. It's part of who she is. If Gaston was so opposed to the way she was, why did he want to marry her so badly?"

Beast suddenly found himself fearing the answer. Or more accurately, he feared that an eleven year old would actually _know_ the answer. He silently prayed that her answer would be "that I don't know", but alas, that was not the answer.

"Well I told you about the high-strung horse analogy," Didiane said. "There were other metaphors. He'd brag about how he caught the sweetest prey. Maman kept turning him down, playing hard to get. He bragged about how a good hunter keeps stalking his elusive prey until he has them cornered. And how he could have had the pick of any unmarried girl in town, all of whom would gladly give him their hand on a silver platter. But he wasn't out for rabbits. He was after the game he had to work for."

"So he sought her specifically for the challenge," the Beast observed.

"That's correct," Didiane said. "Plus, she was the most beautiful girl in the village. Papa said that made her the best."

"Ah," the Beast said. "I once thought that way. The more beauty the better. That's why an old hag crashing my ball didn't go over so well with me. I...learned my lesson." The Beast sighed. "I'm sorry I asked why your father wanted your mother so badly. That can't be easy...recalling all those metaphors your mother was the subject of."

"I'm...glad you asked," Didiane said. "I've heard things like that my whole life and I couldn't tell anyone. I couldn't bear to tell Maman what I'd heard because I was sure it would hurt her. You're the first person I've been able to tell this to in my life."

The Beast stood and crossed the distance between his chair and hers. He knelt in front of her chair, took a hand in his paw, and looked directly into her eyes...Belle's eyes.

"Didiane," he said gently. "Whenever there is anything...and I mean _anything_...that you _ever_ want or need to talk about, I'm here. I'm not sure how good of a guardian I will be to you...I'm so limited in what I can provide as a Beast in a dilapidated castle in a secluded forest. But I will _always_ listen and give advice when I can and hopefully comfort when you need it. You seem to carry a burden no one your age should have to, and you needn't carry it alone any longer. And I don't want you to hold back thinking what you say might hurt me. If it hurts me it's because I know it's hurting you and I don't want you bearing the pain alone. All right?"

Her right hand came to rest atop the paw that grasped her left, and she nodded.

"Your mother asked that I love you as if you were my own," the Beast said. "I can at least do that much. I've...never had my own child to love, but I'll do my best. And part of that," here his voice cracked ever so slightly with emotion, "is not wanting you to close yourself off like I did, like I was well on the way to doing at your age. Don't let your heart grow hard and cold like I did. You have your mother's kind nature. Don't ever lose it. I may not be able to do much for you but I'll do all I can to see that you don't go down the road that led me to this cursed existence. I'll do all I can to see that your gentle soul remains intact."

"Thank you Beast," Didiane said. "There's so much I want to say. But I don't know that I can all at once. I'm not sure my father knew what love was, he said he loved us but my mother seemed more loving than he ever did. Would he have forced her to marry him to save her father from the asylum if he loved her? Would he see her as prey to conquer if he loved her? Would he make her do all the cooking and cleaning and everything like that because that's a _woman's life mission_ , when she's not happy that way? Would he punish us for reading or doing anything else reserved for men if he loved us? I remember the time Grandpere asked Maman and I what we'd like him to bring us from the annual market where he sold his music boxes that he made. Every year Maman asked him for a rose. That particular year I was just starting to learn to read a little. I was four. I asked him to bring me a book. Papa heard. It...wasn't pretty."

"What happened?" the Beast very gently asked.

"First, my father grabbed my grandfather by the shirt collar and yelled at him that nobody but he should be bringing flowers for _his_ wife," Didiane said. "Then he said under no circumstances was my grandfather to bring any books for any females in his family. Then he dragged Grandpere to the door and shoved him out. Then, when Maman told him off for treating her father so poorly, Papa slapped her hard across the face. Then he turned to me. Off came his belt. Up went my dress. I got a good lashing all because I had the audacity to ask for a book."

A tear slid out at this memory and she gave a sniff. The Beast's arms wrapped around her and drew her close to him. He stood, lifting her up, then sat in the chair, placing the child on his lap. She found this comforting and nestled into his embrace.

"I am so sorry," the Beast whispered. "I'm so very, very sorry."

"Then he did the same to Maman, for putting the idea in my head that I should read."

The Beast was stunned. How could _anyone_ treat someone they supposedly love like _that_? And _why_?

"Your mother deserved so much better than that," he said. "So did you."

"It was life," Didiane said. "Not pleasant mind you, but I knew no different."

"You'll know different now," the Beast said. "I may not be able to give you the best life but I'll make sure you're treated with kindness."

"I should probably be going to bed," Didiane said. She pulled herself gently out of the Beast's arms. "Goodnight Beast."

"Goodnight Didiane," the Beast said. He suddenly found herself unsure what to do. Should he go up there with her? He remembered his own mother tucking him into bed when he was a boy before she had passed on, and he imagined Belle would have with Didiane. But his father never did after his mother was gone. And from what he'd heard of Gaston, he probably didn't. Not that either man qualified as a good example of fatherhood. Was it something he should do as her new guardian? Would she even be comfortable with it considering they'd only known each other the last several hours? Would she, at eleven, have outgrown being tucked in, and now put herself to bed? He figured he'd ask what she preferred. "Um, do you want me to go up there with you?"

"I'll be all right," she said. "I'll go on my own."

"All right," Beast said. "I hope you have a comfortable sleep."

He watched her go, then sighed. He hoped he could do right by Didiane and her mother.


	5. A Visit

**Okay I think there may be a glitch with some reviews as some appear to be missing parts of sentences. I'll try to address a couple concerns as I understand them from the context.**

 **First, believe it or not I don't really like pairing Gaston and Belle either which is why I couldn't make it a happy relationship. I do agree she'd become a spinster before marrying Gaston. In this scenario though, it's not just her begging on the streets after her father dies. It's her trying to free her father from the asylum without exposing Beast, and I can see her sacrificing herself like that to protect her loved ones. I can understand why some may think it's just a bad pairing (something with which I actually do not disagree), but that's why I had them married.**

 **As for the enchantress healing Belle, intriguing idea, and I get that with fantasy one can take liberties like that. But I had decided right from the outset that there wouldn't be any magical miracles here to save Belle. My goal is exploring how Beast and Didiane cope with such a loss. I do understand it's probably something that some won't appreciate, because hey, it's Belle, and we all want her to get better and for everybody to live happily ever after, right? I get it. I do. But here I'm exploring how they deal with the tragedy, and, unfortunately, tragedy does not discriminate. Death can strike anyone at anytime. And in this story I'm exploring how that effects the characters. I know this will disappoint some folks, and I'm sorry, but that is how it shall go for this story.**

 **I am, however, allowing a little bit of magic to be employed so Belle and Beast can say goodbye. That's what this chapter is about.**

The Beast made his way to the West Wing, with the mirror that Didiane had returned to him. He sat on the edge of his bed and sighed, holding up the mirror. He feared what he was about to see when he made his request.

"Show me Belle."

 _Belle lay in her bed, alone and in obvious distress. There were spots where her flesh was dying off. She had vomited right where she lay. She moaned as her body curled on itself. And every so often she would mumble about hoping Didiane made it safely to the castle, how she hoped Beast didn't mind, how she hoped Didiane had made it out before becoming infected._

Beast lowered the mirror, allowing the image to fade. His heart shattered. Belle was _suffering_. And she was alone. And was concerned for her daughter. And he was powerless to do anything to bring her some measure of comfort.

Or was he?

He took up the mirror again, this time asking to see Didiane. Once assured she was sound asleep, he stood, walked to the small table that still had the dead rose encased in the bell jar, and set the mirror where it had resided until twelve years ago.

He then made his way quickly to the library. He retrieved the portal book, that he had once called the cruelest trick of the enchantress. He knew what he was doing was risky. He couldn't get too close to Belle, and couldn't stay in the house long. But he _had_ to see her, reassure her that Didiane was safe at the castle and that he would care for her to the best of his ability. He could do nothing for her physical discomfort. As much as he wanted to, he knew he could not get her out of her own vomit. And that pained him greatly. But he could at least tell her that her daughter was safe and would be loved. He could at least try to bring some ease to her emotional discomfort. He opened the book and placed a paw on the page, closing his eyes and willing it to take him just outside the room Belle lay in.

When he felt the environment settle, he opened his eyes. He found himself standing just outside a closed door. This must be Belle's sickroom. A moan from the room confirmed this. He gently knocked, then quietly opened the door. Just seeing the state she was in, right in front of him and not just in the mirror, caused his heart to sink.

"Belle..." he said, barely above a whisper.

She turned her head to face him.

"Beast?" she said weakly. "H-how did you get here?"

"The book in the library," he said. "The portal."

"You shouldn't be here," Belle said. "I don't want you getting sick."

"I won't come close," Beast said. "As much as I want to. I wish I could get you cleaned up from your...oh Belle you shouldn't have to lie in that. I'm so sorry."

"I'm sure the plague doctor will check on me tomorrow," she said. "Maybe...he can safely get me cleaned up a little."

"I won't stay long," Beast said. "I know it's risky being here. But I just wanted to let you know that Didiane made it safely to the castle. And I will do as you asked and love her as I would if she were my own."

"Thank you," Belle whispered.

"She's so much like you," Beast said. "Her eyes...her hair...her spirit..." The Beast sighed. "Belle I wish I could be by your side as you go through this. You shouldn't have to suffer like this alone. I'll watch you in the mirror as much as I can. Sort of keep a vigil. So please know as you're going through this that you're not completely alone, even if you are physically."

"Don't torture yourself," Belle said. "Just check on me from time to time. And please shield Didiane from seeing me like this."

"I'll look on you whenever I'm awake and not around Didiane," the Beast said. "I'd be more tortured knowing you're suffering with nobody to even bear witness."

"Very well then," Belle's weak voice said. "But now you must go. You're at a distance which is good but you're not completely safe here. It's time to say goodbye. At least I got to see you...one last time."

The Beast didn't realize his heart could sink further than it was until now. He knew she was right. He had to leave her. Had he not had Didiane to care for he'd have stayed right with her, making her as comfortable as possible, not caring about the consequences for himself. Then again, had Didiane not come to him, he wouldn't have ever known of Belle's plight. Now all he could do for her was utter the words he had wanted to utter twelve years ago. His voice carried the emotion he could not hide.

"I love you Belle. I'm sorry I didn't get to tell you that before you left. But I loved you then and always will."

"I love you Beast," she said. "I wish I could have come back and told you that and stayed with you. Now go. Please. Don't linger here any longer. Raise her with love. Goodbye my Beast."

"Goodbye my Belle," the Beast said.

He gently closed the door and willed himself back home. Once there, he closed the book and hurried back to the west wing. He flopped down onto his bed, shedding some tears before finally falling asleep.

He would do his best to fulfill her dying wish.

 _Raise her with love._


	6. The Library

**All righty then! Didiane sees her mother's library! This chapter is actually rather short. I don't think I meant for it to be so short, but when I got to the line that ultimately ends it, it just seemed somehow appropriate to end the chapter on that note. It's...a line from the movie, and I think one that may elicit a chuckle from some folks. Since the general tone is a little on the somber side, I figured hey, that humorous note might be a good place to end the chapter, thus, the chapter is a pretty quick read.**

Early the next morning, Beast went back to the library, retrieved the portal book, and took it back to the West Wing, where he put it in the bottom drawer of his nightstand. He was going to show Didiane the library her mother had so loved, but he knew her discovering the portal would probably not be a good thing. Especially when her mother still drew breath. She might try to go to her, as he had, but might not take the necessary care to keep her distance. It was all he could do last night to keep from running and cradling his Belle in his arms. But he knew even without that issue, Didiane was too young to go off on her own. Perhaps in a few years he would show her the book and how to use it, so she could have some freedom from this lonely castle. But for now, it was best to keep it well hidden.

Beast next took up the mirror and asked to see Belle. As painful as the reality of her impending death was, and as much as his heart shattered knowing he could not change her fate, he found himself hoping to find she'd passed during the night. He hated himself for hoping that, but he did want her suffering to stop. She was still alive though. Still struggling against the ravages of plague. At least she did not mumble her fears about Didiane. It gave him a small measure of solace that he had been able to relieve that anxiety, if he could do nothing else for her.

"I'm right here Belle," he whispered, wishing she could hear him. "I'm with you...to the extent possible."

It was definitely a heartbreaking thing to watch.

After breakfast, Beast and Didiane were exiting the dining room when Beast spoke.

"Didiane, there's something I'd like to show you. Something your mother loved very much."

"All right," Didiane said. As they walked, a question came to mind. "Have you looked in on her in the mirror lately?"

"I have."

"How is she? Has...she passed on yet?"

"Not yet."

"I feel awful for saying this," Didiane said, "or even thinking it, but I found myself this morning sort of hoping she had passed."

Beast stopped walking, placed a paw on her shoulder, turned her to face him, and knelt down to be closer to her level. He sighed.

"I had sort of hoped that too," he confessed. "And I felt awful thinking it myself. But we only think it because we love her and don't want her to suffer."

"I really just want her better," Didiane said, with the voice of one close to tears. "But it seems like a hopeless wish."

"I want that too," Beast said. He sighed. "But you are right I'm afraid. That's why we find ourselves hoping to discover she's passed. The only realistic hope we have to cling to is that her suffering ends sooner rather than later."

They hugged for a moment, and Didiane allowed a few tears to slip out. Then they continued their journey until they came to a large set of doors.

"You're mother's favorite room," Beast said softly, then pushed open the doors.

They stepped inside. Beast watched as Didiane had pretty much the same reaction her mother had twelve years prior. The reaction that had Beast questioning if she was all right. It was like deja vu, for here Didiane stood, with eyes and hair so like that of her mother, just gaping at all the books.

"Your mother looked just like this," Beast said. "I asked if she was all right, because I wasn't expecting to see her just dumbfounded. All she could say in response was that it was wonderful."

"It...is," Didiane said. "I never knew so many books ever existed in one place."

"I told her if she liked it so much it was hers," Beast said softly, fondly, sadly. He let a few silent seconds pass between them. "It's yours now."

"Thank you," Didiane said. "But I fear I haven't much use for such a grand library. Maman taught me to read...as much as she could. But with Papa being the way he was...well she couldn't teach me as much as either of us would have liked."

"Would you like to learn?" Beast asked. "I'd be happy to teach you and bring your reading skills up to what they could be."

"Would you?"

"Yes. And here you need not fear being punished for or hindered in your learning. Nor will you be ridiculed."

Didiane threw herself into Beast's arms in appreciation. After pulling out of the embrace, she had a question.

"Have you read all of these books, Beast?"

Beast smiled at yet another way this child seemed so like Belle.

"Your mother wanted to know that too."

"What did you tell her?"

"I told her I hadn't read all of them."

"How about now?" Didiane asked. "Have you read all of them in the past twelve years?"

"Well, no," Beast said. "One problem still remains. The problem that was the reason I hadn't read them all when your mother asked."

"Oh?" Didiane replied. "What's that?"

"Some of them are in Greek."


	7. Grief

**Just a bit of plague trivia here, from research I've done, the 'buboes' that give the bubonic form of plague its name are what we now know to be extremely swollen and painful lymph nodes (one thing I read said they could reach the size of oranges before they rupture). Not sure they knew what lymph nodes were in the 18th century, but I thought it was interesting that that's what the buboes of bubonic plague refer to. Basically from what I read, the bubonic form of plague kills you by causing your body to kill itself. Basically from what I understand it causes the immune system to go so haywire trying to fight off the disease that it not only attacks the yersinia pestis bacteria responsible for all forms of plague (bubonic, pneumatic, septicemic, and rarely, enteric), but basically attacks everything, including your body, system by system. A sort of suicide by immune system if you will. Nasty stuff!**

 **So a warning, this is a very downer chapter. I know some of you *really* wish Agathe would intervene and save Belle, so this chapter is going to be a hard pill for some to swallow. It was actually kind of depressing to write. And to boot, I've been discussing the story with ladivina, who suggested a plot twist that I hadn't planned on, but can't pass up. She tends to get my plot bunnies breeding, and sometimes she has some pretty dark and dismal ideas. Thanks to her influence, this story _will_ get worse before it gets better. You have been warned. **

Six days later, Beast was watching Belle in the mirror, as he did whenever he was not asleep or with Didiane. It was just after lunch. Didiane had gone to the library to practice her reading. In the few days since Beast had shown her the library, she had made quite an improvement in her reading skills under his gentle guidance.

"She's catching on so fast Belle," he whispered to the mirror, wishing she could hear him. "You'd be so proud of her. How anyone could have ever discouraged her, let alone her own father, I shall never understand."

Belle looked so awful now, the dreaded plague causing much of her skin to be necrotic. The buboes were so swollen that they were ruptured and oozing. Beast wasn't even sure how she even managed to breathe. Though her breathing was so shallow. He was sure it would soon stop.

And then she gave a couple gasps, a few twitches, and went completely still. Beast watched for several minutes, but saw no further breath. His heart shattered into a million pieces. He was about to set the mirror down when the doctor with the beaked mask came in on his daily rounds. Beast watched as the plague doctor made his examination. Belle's final examination. Confirming what Beast had already gathered, the doctor took her sheet and brought it up to cover her head. He then left.

Beast set the mirror down. He was sitting on the edge of his bed and his head hung low as tears fell. Belle was dead. Her suffering was finally over. This was a relief, but also heartbreaking at the same time.

"Goodbye Belle," he whispered. "I'm so sorry. Your last twelve years should have been happy ones and they shouldn't have ended like this. I'm so sorry. At least you're not hurting now."

Why did life have to be so exceedingly, incredibly, unbelievably cruel? Even the curse, and the permanence of it, the twelve lonely years since Belle left, did not seem a tenth as cruel to the Beast as how Belle's life had just ended. And to think this end came after twelve years of an abusive marriage that she was blackmailed into entering just made it seem that much more cruel.

And now, he had an eleven year old girl he had to break the news to. Didiane was now officially an orphan, though of course she was better off without her father. Pulling himself together, though with a very heavy heart, he made his way to the library.

Didiane was sitting in a cozy chair by the fire in the library. She was engrossed in a book when Beast walked in and padded over to her. He remembered walking in on Belle so engrossed, and hating to interrupt her. Often he didn't, but occasionally there was something that warranted it. But those issues all seemed trivial in comparison to the news he had for Didiane. He did not, _he did not_ , want to interrupt her for this. He turned his head and looked to the library door, contemplating saving the news for a better time. But what better time could there possibly be? He turned his head to look once more upon his young charge. He softly cleared his throat, placing a paw on her shoulder.

Didiane looked up from her book. She felt the slight tremor in her guardian's paw, try as he might, and did, to keep it perfectly steady. His grave expression was another clue that something was wrong.

"Beast," she said. "Why do I have a feeling you're not just coming to check how my reading is coming along?"

"Is it that obvious?"

Didiane nodded in reply.

"May I sit down? I...need to have a word with you."

"Of course," Didiane put her book on the end table next to the chair.

Beast selected a nearby couch in case she would want to sit beside him for comfort. He heaved a heavy sigh.

"Is it about Maman?" Didiane asked a bit nervously.

"It is," Beast said quietly. "Would you like to sit next to me? You don't have to, but if you want too..."

Didiane didn't have to be invited twice. She stood up and walked to the couch, sitting beside him. Beast took a deep breath and looked at her.

"I've just been looking on her in the mirror," he began.

"Is she...? I mean, has she...?"

"Passed, yes," Beast whispered. "It's over."

Beast watched as Didiane crumpled into a sobbing heap next to him. He wrapped an arm around her and held her close against him. He allowed some of his own tears to fall, but made sure to maintain his composure enough to be a strong support for the child.

"It's some comfort I suppose that she's not suffering anymore," Beast said softly. "And I don't think she was really aware of things for the final hours."

"Let's go get her," Didiane said. "She should be buried on the castle grounds."

Beast's heart sank further than he thought possible. That's exactly what he wanted to do. The likely scenario of Belle being unceremoniously deposited into a mass grave with other deceased plague victims did not sit at all well with him. But he knew Belle's body was not safe to handle.

"I can't tell you how much I'd like to do that," Beast said. "But I'm afraid we can't. We'll get sick if we go near."

"What will happen to her?"

Beast carefully considered his words. He wanted to spare her knowing that a mass grave was the most probable final resting place for her mother.

"There will be people who are able to take precautions against the plague who will bury her."

Both were in a deep state of grief. Neither felt like eating much of their dinner. About a half hour after eating a meager amount, Didiane stood and spoke.

"Goodnight Beast," she said. "I shall retire early. I'm feeling...a bit unwell."

"Goodnight Didiane," Beast said, walking over and giving her a hug. "I'll be here in the parlor or in my room. Feel free to find me if you need anything."

Didiane looked all right, other than being very melancholy which was to be expected. Beast chalked her 'unwell' feeling to grief. He watched as she departed for her bedroom.

Around midnight, Beast looked in on Didiane with the mirror. He wanted to see if he needed to go in and offer comfort. He needed to go in there all right. What he saw made his blood run cold. Didiane was not just 'a bit unwell', nor was what he was seeing able to be explained as grief. He set the mirror down and started racing to the East Wing, heart pounding with fear.


	8. Despair and Decision

**Hello everybody!**

 **Child of Dreams, sad, isn't it?**

 **Leeds, thanks.**

 **Eternallyenchanted7, you'll probably be a little horrified with this chapter's plot twist, but at least Agathe will offer some aid.**

 **AutobotGuy710, thanks.**

 **Cloelius Princess, here you go.**

 **Okay folks, here we start getting into the plot twist that ladivina suggested. I know, it's kind of gutwrenching. But it's a plot twist I just couldn't pass up!**

Beast made it to Didiane's room and rushed to her side. She was shivering despite being under the warm blanket.

"Beast," she said. "I'm so cold."

Beast touched a paw to her forehead. She felt anything but cold. In fact she felt quite hot.

"You actually have a fever," he said softly.

"Fever and chills..." Didiane said. "First sign that Maman was ill."

"I'll go get some water to help bring your fever down." he said. He rushed out of the room.

He descended the East Wing stairs and suddenly paused on the landing between the wings. The implication of the child's words chose this moment to sink in.

 _"Fever and chills... First sign that Maman was ill."_

Her maman was ill with...plague. And now she was showing the first symptoms Belle had shown. Could she have left her mother too late to avoid infection? This thought was simply too much emotionally for him to bear. Letting Belle go, losing his entire staff practically in the blink of an eye, spending twelve lonely years, learning Belle was unhappy and mistreated those twelve years, and now was dying, then watching her die in the mirror and having to tell her daughter, that was already too much. But now Didiane was sick and he feared it was plague. He was sure he would lose Didiane now too. The weight of despair caused all emotional composure to fail him, and right there on the landing between the East and West Wings, he sank to the floor, buried his face in his arms on his lap and wept. His body shook and at times nearly convulsed with sobs.

"God if you're listening I know I've paid you little mind since I lost my mother," he said as he cried. "Certainly not since the curse as I know you couldn't possibly care for a creature like me. But Belle was no creature. Didiane is no creature. If you care about anything or anyone please don't let Didiane's young life end this way! Please!"

He continued to weep. He knew that he would not leave Didiane once he went back to her. He couldn't be at Belle's side and now if Didiane had plague the only one he had to worry about getting infected was himself, and at this point he didn't care about that.

He was in the middle of his meltdown, aware of nothing around him. He did not realize that he was suddenly no longer alone on the landing.

"It's been a while," a vaguely familiar voice said. "About twenty-two years I believe? Twelve since the curse sadly became permanent. You were so close I was sure you'd make it. But things happened with Belle I hadn't counted on."

"You..." Beast whispered, realizing who it was. Why was the enchantress here now? It vaguely occurred to Beast that he should perhaps be angry at her. For the curse, for Belle having to be so unhappy after he'd condemned himself and his entire staff to set her free, and that now she was dead from plague. Surely it would have been within the enchantress' power to intervene? But Beast was in such despair that he just didn't have the physical or emotional energy that was required to be angry. He also found he didn't have the physical or emotional energy to care that someone was seeing him in such a state. He would normally strive to regain his composure, but after all the anguish he'd been through and was still going through, he just wept on.

Agathe was rather taken aback by the state in which she'd found the Beast. She'd checked in on him often, even after the curse had become permanent. She'd also kept an eye on Belle, remaining as the village spinster. She had wished Belle could have returned to Beast and that the curse could have been lifted. But she'd been essentially forced to marry Gaston. Still Agathe had kept an eye on things in Villeneuve and the castle. And she knew Beast had spent the last twelve years in grief, but at no point did she ever look in on him to see him reduced to a sobbing heap on the floor. And she knew that Belle had sent her daughter here, for Didiane had run into her on her way out of town and said her mother was dying of plague and had sent her away, and Agathe had kept an eye on the child to make sure she was safe. Seeing the enchanted mirror in Didiane's possession was a clue as to where she was going, and Agathe soon found she'd been right. She was sure the news Beast would receive about Belle would devastate him, but she was sure that the child's companionship would help him be less melancholy. She had come to offer something that would help with raising the child. But she found Beast so broken and she was growing quite concerned. She had to find out what was so wrong. She didn't have a good feeling about this.

"What's wrong Beast?" Agathe asked gently. "I know Belle's daughter recently came as her mother was dying of plague. I know you've grieved for twelve years and the news about Belle would be difficult but I thought Didiane's presence would do you good. I had actually come to offer some help in regards to Didiane, but considering how distraught you are I'm gathering something must be amiss?"

Beast's head shot up hopefully at the word 'help', but slumped back down when it became apparent that the enchantress seemed unaware of Didiane's current condition so hadn't come to heal her.

"I watched her die in the mirror," Beast choked out. "And now Didiane's got it."

"Are you sure?" Agathe asked.

"She's got fever and chills. Said it was the first thing that happened to Belle."

Agathe knelt beside Beast and placed a hand on his shaking shoulder. She spoke gently.

"That is worrisome. But fever and chills can mean other things. Any coughing? Vomiting? Diarrhea? Lesions?"

Beast shook his head.

"Where is her room? I'll go have a look. I'll be able to tell even if there are no further symptoms whether or not the fever means what you fear."

"East Wing," Beast choked out. "Third door on the left. But you should wait until I can compose myself and go with you. She might be alarmed by a stranger in her room."

"I won't alarm her," Agathe said. "She knows me well as Agathe the village spinster. Her mother has always been kind to me, which is how I knew she was the one to send to you. I knew she was coming here as she passed me on her way out of town and told me her mother sent her away because she had taken ill with plague. I had a good idea where she was headed as she had the mirror. I kept an eye on her with my own mirror to see she made it safely. So she knows me well. I'll go pay her a visit. You needn't try to compose yourself. You've held your emotions for far too long. Just let them go until your body naturally stops its purging process."

With that, Agathe put her arm around Beast's shoulders for a quick hug, at least she meant for it to be quick. She wanted to get to Didiane as soon as possible to confirm, or, she hoped, rule out, Beast's suspicion. But he stiffened, causing her to keep her arm around his shoulders.

Beast was a bit confused. All this time he saw the enchantress as a cruel tormentor. An enemy. Now she was offering comfort? Why? Agathe sensed his confusion.

"I know we didn't have the best first meeting," she said softly. "And I know that because of that I am probably not exactly your favorite person in the world. But it was never my intent to be cruel, but to save you from yourself, from the path you were on. I knew you had the potential to be a better person, but something drastic would need to happen. I do have regrets, things I wish I'd done differently when placing the curse. In fact my reason for coming was to broach the subject of reversing some of it, but it seems Didiane should be seen to first. I am sorry...very sorry...for the suffering you've gone through. There are things I didn't consider that I should have. I know my attempts to console must seem a little startling but I offer comfort because I do care."

Beast gave a slight nod of acknowledgement.

"I'll go check on her," Agathe said. "Try not to worry too much until we know how much we need to worry. I'll be back in a few minutes."

Agathe patted his shoulder, stood, and ascended the Eastern staircase. When she got to the door indicated by the Beast, she knocked lightly and entered. She frowned as she saw Didiane on the bed, clearly miserable. She walked over to the bed.

"Hello, Didiane."

"A-Agathe?" Didiane asked. "How did you get here?"

"I came to see the Beast," Agathe said. "I'm an...acquaintance of his. He's awfully worried about you."

Agathe placed her hand on the shivering child's forehead. It was definitely hot. She stood over the bed, looking intently at Didiane. She hadn't vomited yet, and didn't show anything beyond the fever and chills. Didiane groaned. So maybe she had pain as well.

"Are you hurting anywhere?" Agathe asked.

"I ache all over," Didiane said.

Though there were no lesions or swellings or anything that would cause a doctor to say definitively that it was plague, Agathe knew. Now she had to tell Beast, and this was something she was not looking forward to. Didiane's next words seemed to confirm it.

"The night before the doctor confirmed Maman had plague...she told me to stay away from her until we knew for sure. But late that night I snuck into her room. She was asleep. I went over to her and kissed her. I didn't do as she asked and now I have it too, don't I?"

"Shhh," Agathe said. "Just rest right now."

Agathe lifted her hand and caused Didiane to fall asleep. She then walked to the door and blew on the hand that had touched Didiane, rendering any disease on her hand harmless. Her magic made her immune to the illnesses of mortals, but she could still spread disease if she did not take precautions after touching a contagious person. Though she suspected Didiane was not yet contagious, since she was not yet coughing, vomiting, or showing lesions, Agathe was not willing to take that chance. Then she went down the stairs to the landing where she knelt beside the Beast, putting her arm once more around his shoulders.

"I have her sleeping, I've made sure she'll sleep through the night, so she's not uncomfortable for the time being."

Beast had cried until he no longer could, having used up his supply of tears. The fur on his face was still soaked though. He looked up hopefully at Agathe.

"It's not...what I feared right?" he asked, his eyes were pleading to not have this hope dashed. "I'm just overreacting. Tell me I'm overreacting."

Agathe's troubled expression told him that whatever the news was, it probably wasn't good. But he hoped with every fiber of his being that it was not plague.

"I want nothing more than to tell you that you were overreacting," she said, stroking his shoulder with her thumb. "But I'm afraid your fears are well-founded. I could tell, but then she confirmed it herself. She confessed that the night before Belle's illness was confirmed, she snuck into her mother's room despite Belle telling her to keep her distance until they knew. Belle was sleeping and Didiane went over and kissed her."

Beast's head and shoulders slumped forward. He wanted to weep all over again, but since he'd already wept himself tearless, he could not. He could only emit an anguished moan.

"I'm sorry," Agathe whispered.

"Don't let her die like this," Beast begged. "Surely you're able to heal her?"

"I'm afraid that's a bit complicated," Agathe said. "Once someone becomes sick, the illness is supposed to run its course. I _can_ take an illness from someone, but then I'd have to put it in someone else so it could run its course. That's never sat very well with me. I've never done it before."

"Let this be your first time," Beast said after about half a second. "Give it to me."

"Are you sure?" Agathe asked. "Plague is not something to be trifled with. And I cannot know how your body will react. A benefit to being a beast is that your body is very strong. Maybe you're strong enough that you can fight it off. I can't promise that you won't die of the disease however."

"I don't care," Beast said. "If someone has to die, better me than her. I don't know who would take care of her, that's my only concern should I die, but what's important is she lives. Her mother sent her away to keep her alive. If I can make sure that happens I'll do whatever it takes."

"I think I can help as far as making sure Didiane is cared for," Agathe said. "Actually my reason for coming was because I thought you could use some help. Especially when she starts having...monthly events...not having someone around who is female I'm sure would be rather awkward for both of you. Plus, what happened to the others has always been one of my regrets. If I were to reanimate everybody that became inanimate when the curse became permanent, would that be all right with you?"

Beast stared at Agathe as if she'd just grown a second head. Was she really proposing restoring life to the staff? And while he appreciated that she would do it, and was thinking of how it would help with Didiane, if it was one of her regrets why didn't she reverse the inanimation right away?

"That would be all right, of course," he said. "But...if you've always regretted it, why after twelve years? Why not right away? If Didiane hadn't come along would you have just kept on regretting it?"

"Magic is a fickle thing," Agathe said. "It is hard to reverse out of its specific conditions. When I placed the curse on you and the staff, one thing I am glad I did was that I did build a provision in it that if the curse became permanent and the staff became ordinary objects, they could be revived at anytime if, first, I deem you deserving of their company, which I do, and have these twelve years, and second, if anything were to happen that you might be unable to handle on your own. Certainly raising a child of the opposite gender who will enter puberty at some point within the next few years could qualify, so I could reanimate them on account of that. Having a child that needs care while you are gravely ill definitely qualifies." She paused for a moment. "You should probably explain to them what's going on before you take the plague upon yourself. They'll want to know why they're moving and speaking again. They'll need to know about Didiane. And I'd suggest you pick two or three of them to be in your room with you. Being objects they cannot get sick, and can help take care of you. Others can leave supplies by the door for them. Where would you like me to gather them before reviving them so you can talk with them?"

"The ballroom," Beast said. "I think that should accommodate everybody. By the way...there is something else...I'm wondering if you can do...for Didiane."

"What is that, Beast?"

"When I told her that Belle had passed, which I saw in the mirror, she begged me to retrieve Belle and bury her on the castle grounds. I wanted to do just that but of course I knew we couldn't. Is it possible you could retrieve her and bury her on the grounds? Then Didiane will at least have a grave to visit. I'd like that too of course, but it is for Didiane, not myself, that I ask."

"I think it's a lovely idea," Agathe said. "Why don't I get everybody in the ballroom and reanimate them? Then I'll leave you with them to explain things to them. Perhaps you'd like to say goodbye to Didiane in case you don't survive, or write her a note. I'll return at sunrise with Belle. Would you like to be there when I bury her, before I transfer the plague to you?"

"I'd like that," Beast said.

"All right," Agathe stood and raised her hands, causing various objects to float through the air from all directions, heading towards the ballroom. "Let's go to the ballroom. This is everybody inside the castle. I'll leave the horses-turned-saddles in the stable, but they will be reanimated as well."


End file.
